During the Fall 2022 semester, Lehman College journalism students conducted an investigation on the prevalence of toxic brownfield sites in The Bronx. Using public information, research into federal lobbying records and interviews with experts and residents, the student journalists set out to understand how this contamination happened and why progress towards remediation was so slow.
Housing and Homelessness
Empty Rent-Stabilized Units in NYC Decreased This Year, as ‘Warehousing’ Debate Rages
David Brand |
The latest vacancy data now mirrors pre-COVID figures following a “pandemic-height outlier,” according to New York State’s affordable housing agency. The number of empty apartments also matches the vacancy rate prior to landmark 2019 tenant protections that landlords blamed for the spike in empty units last year.
2022 gubernatorial race
Where the Candidates for NY Governor Stand on Climate Issues
Jeanmarie Evelly |
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Congressman Lee Zeldin have starkly different stances when it comes to energy policy and other environmental issues, at a time when New York is at a critical juncture in planning and implementing its ambitious plan to lower its carbon emissions.
2022 election
Hochul, Zeldin and Housing: A Breakdown
David Brand |
The candidates in the race for New York governor have vastly different platforms on housing. To start, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has a housing plan. Republican challenger and U.S. Congressman Lee Zeldin does not.
hurricane sandy anniversary
Spared By Sandy, Hunts Point Food Market Slow to Address Flood Risk
David Brand |
Superstorm Sandy spared the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, New York City’s most important food source. But a decade later, little has changed when it comes to storm resiliency at the low-lying markets, and a disaster could have a major impact for the city’s restaurants, shops and food pantries.
City on the Edge: Climate Change and New York
Buyouts on the Ballot: 10 Years After Sandy, New York Considers New Funding for Voluntary Relocation
Liz Donovan |
New potential funding mechanisms—including a measure that New Yorkers will see on the ballot this November—may provide an opportunity for homeowners in areas of high flood risk to sell their at-risk properties to the state or city. The properties are then rebuilt to be more resilient, or removed so the land can be used for coastal protection measures.
Housing and Homelessness
Hundreds of Families Forced from Domestic Violence Shelters into Strained DHS System Each Year
David Brand |
A six-month cap on stays and a lack of permanent housing options have combined to drive more than 1,550 families out of domestic violence shelters and directly into the Department of Homeless Services system over the past two years, records show.
Housing and Homelessness
After Media-Frenzied Welcome, Asylum Seekers Endure Hardships of Shelter
Daniel Parra |
The city estimates that around 6,300 asylum seekers have arrived via buses from the border in recent months. In addition to finding a safe place to stay, they must navigate access to medical care, keep tabs on their ongoing immigration cases and in some cases, attempt to reunite with family members they were separated from during their journeys. Some have left the shelter system altogether, citing safety concerns.
Una Ciudad sin Límites
Multas a los vendedores ambulantes aumentaron durante el primer año del DCWP
Daniel Parra |
DCWP y NYPD emitieron 2.427 multas a vendedores ambulantes durante el periodo que comprende junio 2021 y mayo 2022, lo que significa un aumento del 33 por ciento en comparación con 2019, cuando la policía emitió 1.609 multas.
housing
‘It’s Like a Slum’: Supportive Housing Tenants Cope with Violation-Filled Homes. Provider Blames Underfunding
David Brand |
Postgraduate Center for Mental Health has $130 million in two cash reserves and steady funding from the state, but conditions inside the apartments it rents for low-income tenants continue to deteriorate. The organization says it is forced to rent substandard units because state contracts are too low to cover better housing.
Housing and Homelessness
What Will it Take To Remove the Mold From This Washington Heights Apartment?
David Brand |
Tenant attorneys, advocates and policymakers say the delays that Nichols has encountered demonstrate the flaws of the city’s code enforcement program, and the limits of a housing court system that can move at a glacial pace when it comes to holding owners accountable for unsafe conditions.